Issue 67 Campground

ORLANDO, Fla. – The National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds has packed the upcoming InSites Convention and Expo in Orlando with more than 20 seminars and panel discussions, plus a tradeshow with more than 120 exhibiting companies.

Participants will have the opportunity to learn how the Disney Company provides its guests with the ultimate in customer service at its Fort Wilderness campground during the Park Operators on Tour event and through Disney’s “Innovation in

Action” behind-thescenes tour.

“We think this year’s convention will be one of the most informative we’ve ever had,” said Linda Profaizer, president and CEO of the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, which organized the Nov. 9 – 12th event, which will take place at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando.

Despite the economy, Profaizer said convention enrollments are ahead of last year’s figures, both

for attendees and vendors, many of whom are facing increasing competition for private park business.

InSites attendance is also getting a boost from ARVC’s celebration of the 40th anniversary of Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts.

Park operators who arrive in Orlando in advance of the convention will have a chance to participate in two, 8-hour seminars, which are being offered on Sunday, Nov. 8th. These special seminars include: Continued Page 3

FOR BEST VALUES IN PICNIC TABLES, GRILLS, BENCHES & BIKE RACKS

Gerber Mfg. Ltd.

A closely watched report Tuesday on consumer confidence is expected to show modest improvement, but some economists are heartened by a more obscure measure of buyer sentiment: recreational vehicle sales.

RV wholesale shipments jumped 16% in August from July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 209,800, the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association reports Tuesday.

While that's about half the industry's torrid sales pace in 2006, it's a 136% surge

from January. The trade group predicts 146,200 shipments in 2009 and a 27% increase in 2010.

Sales of motor homes and travel trailers are seen by some economists as a leading indicator of the economy's health, because they're among the largest discretionary purchases a consumer can make.

Trailers cost about $6,000 to $60,000, while motor homes — which include a living space within a vehicle — typically fetch $50,000 to $300,000.

About 8% of U.S.

households, mostly families and retirees, own an RV. RV sales began dipping in early 2007, many months before overall retail sales declined and the recession's start in December of that year. In recoveries, camper sales often heat up early, as buyers who put off purchases grow optimistic enough to open their wallets.

"Prospects that we talked to a year ago, even in spring of 2008, are now beginning to come out and buy," says Scott Hayden, president of Driftwood RV,

the largest RV retailer in New Jersey.

After plunging by a third in 2008 and early this year, Driftwood sales in September are 15% ahead of a year ago and up 4% vs. September 2007.

Industry officials attribute the rebound to improved credit for dealers and consumers, low dealer inventories and stable gas prices. The big driver is rising buyer sentiment, which could augur more robust retail sales than predicted.

Full Article: www.USAtoday.com

Continued from Page 1 “What you need to know about OSHA,” a daylong seminar by J.J. Keller & Associates, which specializes in accident prevention. Participants will learn about materials handling, fire safety, hazard communication, blood-borne pathogens, slips trips and falls in addition to learning about the kinds of questions and concerns that should be communicated with OSHA representatives.

InSites participants pay only $25 for this seminar, thanks to Evergreen USA, which has underwritten most of the cost of this seminar.

“FUNdation day of recreation,” a daylong seminar in which park operators learn how to develop their own arts and crafts classes, tiedye t-shirt classes and other fun recreation programs. The cost of this seminar is $125 and includes lunch as well as arts and crafts materials.

Other seminars that are included in the cost of InSites admission will cover many other areas of interest to campgrounds, RV parks and resorts, including social network marketing; marketing through direct mail; guest game and activity planning; team building strategies; as well as estate and succession planning.

Other important seminars include:

“The Americans with Disabilities Act,” a 1.5 hour seminar by Dr. J.R. Harding, a disability expert, regarding proposed changes in Americans with Disabilities Act (ACT) regulations, which are slated to take effect Jan. 1. Participants will have a chance to voice their concerns to OSHA during a public comment period before the new rules take effect.

“Renewable energy in America,” a seminar led

by Howard Boothroyd of Energy Management Partners in Nokomis, Fla. in which park operators will gain a basic understanding of green construction principles so that they can incorporate some of these concepts into an overall business plan.

“Identity theft and its potentially crippling effect on you as a business owner,” by Gary Quigley, CPO of Kozy Rest Kampground in Harrisburg, Penn.

“Reducing Resource Usage,” and “Understanding the National Electric CodeMaking Process,” both by Wade Elliott of Utility Supply Group.

Wade Elliott: Utility Supply Group

Meanwhile, the InSites tradeshow will feature more than 120 exhibiting companies that provide products and services for every aspect of campground operations, from insurance to accommodations, retail operations and Wi-Fi service.

David Gorin: David Gorin & Associates “How to protect your trees and your park from invasive insects and diseases of trees,” by Frank Lowenstein of The Nature Conservancy.

“What public affairs can do for you,” by David Gorin of David Gorin & Associates.

The convention will also feature panel discussions, including a state of the industry panel with ARVC President and CEO Linda Profaizer; Richard Coon, president of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA); Pat Hittmeier, COO of Kampgrounds of America Inc. (KOA); Vic Nolting, vice chair of Leisure Systems Inc. (LSI); and Ron Beard, CPO of Ron Beard & Associates in Austin, Texas.

David Gorin and Aubrey King will also lead an open forum updating the ARVC Public Affairs Program, while Bob MacKinnon of Murrieta, Calif.-based GuestReviews.com will provide an update on ARVC’s GuestReviews program, also in a forum format.

The Nov. 9th – 12th convention will also include an opportunity to tour Disney’s Fort Wilderness campground, and learn how Disney handles merchandising and why certain products are placed in certain areas of their stories.

Park operators will also have a chance to see how Disney creates its topiaries and tour Disney’s laundry facility, the largest in the world.

“Park operators won’t be able to recreate all of Disney’s ideas in their parks, but they should be able to garner a few concepts to take back with them to improve their guests’ experience,” said Daniel Gurley, director of membership for the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds.

For a complete listing of InSites seminars, panel discussions, networking opportunities and information on participating vendors as well as enrollment forms, please visit www.arvc.org or contact ARVC headquarters at (303) 681-0401.

The Michigan Association of Recreation Vehicles and Campgrounds (MARVAC) successfully wrapped up the 20th Annual Fall Detroit Camper & RV Show in Novi, Michigan at the Rock Financial Showplace this weekend with a 40 percent increase in attendance, making the show the best attended Fall Detroit Camper & RV Show since 2003.

Many dealers noted a significant amount of first time RV show visitors who showed interest in everything, including

The parts and accessories section also received an abundance of traffic, with special interest in new satellite and Internet reception products specifically.

diesel pusher motorhomes.

Campground representatives with booths in the show reported a surprising number of visitors who actually made reservations for next season.

MARVAC Director Bill Sheffer was encouraged by the upbeat mood of visitors. “It’s been a difficult economic year, especially in Michigan, and to see the number of potential buyers and camping enthusiasts at this year’s show helps bring the whole industry’s attitude up a level.”

The Fall Detroit Camper & RV Show featured over 200 new recreation vehicles on display including folding campers, motorhomes, travel trailers, truck campers and fifth wheel travel trailers. The show also featured booths showcasing parts and accessories, campground information, on site RV financing, RV rentals, an outdoor display of new RVs and a special “green” RV display sponsored by General RV and Winnebago for an even bigger selection.

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has its way, Americans will no longer be able to text message while driving by 2013.

In honor of the goal, the foundation has declared Oct. 5 to 11 "Heads Up Driving Week" nationwide, with the slogan: "Try it for a week -- do it for life."

The impact of California's texting-while-driving ban, implemented in January of 2009, inspired AAA's aim to ban the practice in all 50 states. "Heads Up Driving Week" is its preemptive strike on the dangerous activity.

Washington became the first state to ban texting while driving on Jan. 1,

2008, but it's a secondary offense. The texter will only receive the $101 fine if pulled over for a different driving offense.

The effort isn't only about texting while driving, but about doing anything that takes your attention off the road.

While multi-tasking in the work place may get recognized as "efficient," and "beneficial," on the road a multi-tasker is "deadly," and a "risk," AAA says. The group wants texters not only to put down the phone while rolling through town, but also the electric shaver, road maps and highway meals.

BELLEVUE, Wash. (AP) — Expedia is partnering with the National Park Foundation on a new Web site to help travelers planning trips to national parks.

and other content from the National Park Foundation, as well as information about lodging options outside the parks.

The content also includes suggestions for long weekend itineraries with stops at national park sites in Colorado, Texas and Michigan, and a series of stories called "Can't-Miss National Parks." The first five parks featured in the "Can't-Miss" series are the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Glacier, Olympic and Yosemite.

The timing of the Web site launch was designed to coincide with the airing of Ken Burns' new documentary on public television, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea."

The site includes downloadable park maps

Think positive thoughts about your Customers.

Think of them as real people, like your relatives or friends, who have a problem and who are stressed about this issue. You are the strong, confident person who will help them sort this issue out, like a warm confident parent. That is the zone to begin the call, the confident parent zone.

By Kate Tammemagi Despite what the poor Customer Service representative may think, no Customer wants to be irate.

Customers become irate when they believe something is wrong or that they have been treated inappropriately. They then become frustrated, angry, annoyed or stressed. Some people become irate more easily than others, but all of these Customers are irate because they have reacted to something you or your Company either did, or failed to do – and they feel that you in Customer Service are continuing to be unresponsive.

the Caller’s emotional state. It takes clear focus and careful use of skills to take this caller out of the irate zone and in to the calm rational zone.

Sometimes this looks impossible, particularly if the Customer Service representative has a lot of irate callers. This is a catch 22 situation. If you believe it is impossible, you will not build the right focus and skills, and you will trigger more and more people to become irate. You are generating irate Customers with your poor approach and skills. The expert Customer Service professional will have few, if any, irate callers.

The Goal of the Customer Service Professional

How to Avoid Irate Callers

Everyone has stressed Customers from time to time. A stressed caller is someone who has the potential to go irate. Your goal in Customer Service is to divert the Customer away from the irate zone and to steer them confidently in to the calm zone.

It is the role of the Customer Service professional not only to have the knowledge and skills to address the issue, but also to have the focus and skills to manage

There 3 key elements you can use to take a stressed Customer in to the calm zone – 1.

2.

3.

Focus Skills Timing

The first, focus, is about getting yourself in to the right zone to handle this Customer. When you are in the right zone, you will use the right language and will be better placed to control the call.

The Sequence at the Beginning of the Call Let us think about what a good, confident parent does when they have a problem.

That will give us the sequence of what to do, and how to time the call. The confident parent first shows empathy - Oh dear, That’s not good. They show empathy as they listen to the problem. They ask questions that show they are interested and that they appreciate the issue. They then stop. They move from the empathy mode, to the brisk adult ‘Let’s get this sorted out’ mode.

This gives us the zones and sequence for handling the stressed Customer – Step 1 – Empathy Step 2 – Listen to the issue.

Show empathy as you listen - I understand, I can appreciate how you feel.

Step 3 – Question for details – again with empathy.

Validate what they say, repeat it back – ‘You reserved this last week, and you still have not got confirmation? If the Customer is totally in the right, show some shock that

this should have happened.

Step 4 – Acknowledge the issue – confirm that you understand the issue and the impact this has had on this Customer. Judge the tone of this appropriately for this specific Customer and this issue. Avoid overplaying or underplaying the situation. This phase of the call is critical. If you do NOT confirm the issue back to the Customer, they will feel you still do not understand fully, and they will continue to tell the story. Acknowledging the issue stops that cycle.

Step 5 – Move to the adult, calm solution phase. Here you use a neutral, adult tone and good, positive language to present your solution to the Customer.

The Company is at Fault or the Customer is at Fault This 5 step sequence will work with any caller. It is a question of getting in the right zone, and timing the sequence well. It is the same sequence whether the Customer is right, they did not get their answer, or when the Customer is wrong, they did not reserve a site at all. What is said is obviously different, but the sequence is the same. You still show empathy, listen to the issue, acknowledge the issue and then move to your approach for this situation.

Practicing these techniques with stressed Customers will ensure you can effectively avoid meeting that irate Caller in any Customer Service situation!

LARKSPUR, Colo., Oct. 1, 2009 – The National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC) has completed its long-awaited redesign of the Go Camping America website, the searchable database for private campgrounds, RV parks and resorts across the country.

“We have completely overhauled and redesigned GoCampingAmerica.com to make it easier for consumers to find the campgrounds and RV parks that best fit their needs,” said Linda Profaizer, ARVC’s president and CEO. The redesigned website, which went live on Monday, can also be used to book reservations online, includes a “Find Rentals” tab with search functions that make it easy to find campgrounds and RV parks with RV rentals on site as well as cabins, park models, yurts and teepees.

An advanced search function allows consumers to find parks that are uniquely suited for tent campers as well as parks that are big-rig friendly, with pull through sites and 50 amp electrical service.

You can use the site to find family parks, pet-

friendly parks, age restricted parks as well as parks that offer nude recreation.

The advanced search function also enables consumers to search for parks that offer nearly 40 different types of activities and outdoor recreation, from biking and bird watching to hunting and fishing, golfing and kayaking. Links to information about outdoor recreation, festivals and special events in each of the 50 states are also provided on the site along with helpful information for

first time campers, such as “What to Pack” lists and recipes. Links to the state affiliates of the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds are also provided.

Consumers can also use GoCampingAmerica.com to quickly find parks that are affiliated with major campground chains, such as Equity LifeStyle Properties, Kampgrounds of America (KOA) and Leisure Systems Inc., which franchises Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp Resorts as well as parks that offer AAA, AARP,

FMCA, Good Sam and other popular discounts.

Profaizer said private park operators should log on to ARVCGateway.com to update their park descriptions and listings of activities and special events so that consumers can easily spot their parks using the website’s enhanced search functions.

Park operators should also send photos of their parks and links to their reservation pages to Grant Barnette and gbarnette@arvc.org so that they can be loaded onto the redesigned website.

WASHINGTON, DC -- The International Olympic Committee's elimination of Chicago as a possible host of the Summer 2016 Games during the first round of balloting demonstrates the need to change impressions of what the experience of travel to the U.S. is like for international visitors, the head of the U.S. Travel Association said.

Roger Dow, U.S. Travel's President and CEO, applauded President Obama's personal appeal on behalf of Chicago and for sending a welcoming message to international travelers around the world, but added, "It's clear the United States still has a lot of work to do to restore its place as a premier travel destination."

"When IOC members are commenting to our President that foreign visitors find traveling to the United States a 'pretty harrowing experience,' we need to take seriously the challenge of reforming our entry process to ensure there is a welcome mat to our friends around the world, even as we ensure a secure system," Dow said.

"At the same time, the Travel Promotion Act is an important step in making sure international travelers know we want them to visit our country."

The Travel Promotion Act,

Roger Dow which recently was passed in the U.S. Senate and is awaiting action in the House of Representatives, would create the first-ever U.S. promotion and communications program aimed at international travelers.Virtually all other industrialized nations spend at least tens of millions of dollars annually on advertising and promotion to attract foreign visitors. Studies show that such a campaign could attract millions of additional overseas visitors per year, resulting in billions of dollars in new visitor spending.

"Chicago has everything to offer and would have been an ideal venue for the Olympics," Dow said.

"Officials from the city and the state of Illinois did a fantastic job of showcasing everything Chicago has to offer, and it's disappointing to have this $7 billion loss to its economy at a time it is

Debbie Sipe AUBURN, Calif., Oct. 5, 2009 – While its name elicits thoughts of camping,

Camp-California.com has been transformed into an information packed tourism website that promotes recreational activities, festivals and special events as much as it highlights campgrounds and RV resorts across the Golden State.

“We’ve completely overhauled the website,

packed it with information we never had before, and equipped it with search engines that can help people quickly find what they’re looking for, whether they’re looking for fun things to do over the weekend or planning a trip to a part of California they’ve never been to before,” said Debbie Sipe, executive director of the California Association of

RV Parks and Campgrounds.

Camp-California.com’s homepage features tabs that enable consumers to search for activities and events both by date and by region.

“Click the ‘Happenings” tab and you’ll find a calendar that lists activities across

the state, from the Julian Apple Harvest to the Los Angeles County to the Country Christmas Fair in Grass Valley,” Sipe said, adding that CampCalifornia.com provides links to the websites of each event along with nearby campgrounds and RV parks.

“Click the ‘Visitor Information’ tab and you’ll have the ability to search for activities, special events and top tourist attractions in each region of the state,” Sipe said, adding that the site also highlights campgrounds and RV parks that are close to each point of interest.

“We’ve tried make CampCalifornia.com quick and easy to use, so people can find what they’re looking for in one place without having to visit multiple websites,” Sipe said, adding that the website has also been equipped with a new search function that enables consumers to

search the entire website for any information relating to a topic of interest to them.

listings of festivals and other special events throughout the state,” Sipe said.

For example, Sipe said, if you enter the word “Halloween” in the section of our site that says “Enter your keyword” and you’ll pull up information on Halloween related events in cities, amusement parks and campgrounds throughout California. The same kind of search can be performed to find activities that include everything from food and wine festivals to hiking, bicycling, rock climbing and fishing. In each case, the website can pull up listings of nearby campgrounds and RV parks.

Consumers can also refine their searches by type of campground. “California’s campgrounds and RV parks offer everything from nude recreation to family parks to quiet, agerestricted parks, and we have equipped CampCalifornia with the tools to help consumers identify the parks that provide the specific type of atmosphere they’re looking for,” Sipe said.

Campgrounds have also been sorted based on their proximity to shopping malls, lighthouses, historical landmarks, caves and other points of interest. “These activities and points of interest are in addition to our existing

Camp-California.com staff members have also included their own blogs and Twitter postings on the website to keep consumers informed of the latest Camp-California website postings, as well as fun things to see and do as well as the latest campground and RV park trends.

In late August, CampCalifornia.com became the

first website in the country to provide consumers with a survey function that converts their responses to letter grades.

The website enables consumers to rate California parks on their service quality, property condition, campsites and restrooms.

“Overall grades are assigned to each park that has been surveyed,” Sipe said, adding that the number of surveys completed for each park is also displayed.

Sipe said the rating system was added to CampCalifornia this summer in response to consumer demand. “The letter grade system is a powerful marketing tool for parks with high scores since CampCalifornia also offers consumers the ability to sort parks by their ratings,” Sipe said. “Of course, it also provides an incentive for parks with lower grades to address areas of consumer concern if they want to remain competitive with their peers in the industry.”

Art Lieberman Daryle Walton, one of the sales executives in our office stumbled upon a rather unusual company while surfing the internet for campgrounds in Louisiana.

The company is called HAPPY CAMPER and their business is to fill empty campsites for campgrounds. The concept is easy to understand.

Campers pay an annual fee of $49.95 and receive a directory containing information on about 1,200 campgrounds where they can camp at 50% off the normal rates.

This concept is not new, nor unique. Passport America has a similar concept. Both list high quality parks which are listed in major directories as having a three star rating or higher. Both also have approximately 1,200 participating campgrounds.

Happy Camper also has an online trip planner and many online activities for members, including having their directory available in

both a printed and online version.

Happy Camper Club, Inc. was founded by Bob and Anne Pierson, who, for the past fifteen years have owned 2 campgrounds in Louisiana. Bob, who passed away recently, began his career with Thousand Trails, Inc., the largest membership organization in the industry.

He worked there in management and as a company director there for over ten years. Together with his wife Anne, who now survives him, they ventured out on their own, buying a campground – then another – and eventually began Happy Camper.

Based at the Shiloh Resorts in Monroe, Louisiana, Happy Camper is one of the solutions that campground owners can utilize to fill vacant campsites.

You can learn all about Happy Camper at their website at www.camphalfprice.com, or by calling them at 318-3438608 or 866-677-6453.

BARTLETT — Rep. Gene Chandler, R-Bartlett, is a co-sponsor of legislature that will repeal the campground tax that was added to the state's Rooms and Meals tax in June according to The Conway (N.H.) Daily Sun. This summer campground owners were told to collect a 9 percent tax on campers, but Chandler believes it's an unfair tax and should not have been implemented without a public hearing.

"At the very least, if we don't get the thing repealed, which is my hope, is we'll get a public hearing and campground owners will get an opportunity to voice their concerns and share the problems they've had, we never had a public hearing at all, it was just implemented. The campground people never got a say."

The primary sponsor of the bill is Rep. Herb Richardson, R-Lancaster.

The bill was filed two weeks ago and language is currently being worked up for it, according to Chandler. The full New Hampshire House of Representatives will receive the proposed bill in November.

"It will be introduced and then the process will start," Chandler said. "I don't think anyone .campground owners or campers — are embracing this new tax. It was implemented without any rules."

The state of New Hampshire estimates that camping brings $44 million in revenue.

With the state's imposition of the Rooms and Meals tax of 9 percent, the state is counting on $4 million in revenue from campground bookings.

Whether the enactment of that tax will deter campers in a tight economy remains to be seen, Greg Pitman, director of the New Hampshire Campground Owners Association based in Epsom, said, noting that his association was angered by how hastily the tax was enacted.

“We fought it,” said Pitman, while conceding that the effort was to little avail.

“We are seeing the impact already and we have been hearing about it from campers who come from states close by — some are saying they will perhaps look at campgrounds in their own states, if New Hampshire has a Rooms and Meals

Tax of 9 percent. We have heard from Vermont and Massachusetts campers, and some say they will reevaluate and stay maybe closer to home. We have pitched ‘staycations’ ourselves, and now maybe with the tax they may do that themselves.

“Say if your campground rate is $40 a night and you stayed seven days, that's $280 and 9 percent of that is another $27. That's a meal that they probably won't go out to a restaurant that they ordinarily would have,” said Pitman.

Our own campers are saying it the loudest as they thought they lived in a ‘no tax’ state here in the Granite State.”

"The thing was implemented (July 1)," Chandler added, "and no one really knew what to do. Do you charge the person who called in May and made a reservation for the end of the summer?

The true impact of the tax may be on campers cutting back on other spending, such as meals out.

... There were no public hearings because everything came at the last minute."

The latest product to hit the campground industry is receiving major interest by owners who see these bikes as an opportunity for good revenue by renting them to campers.

The bikes are not only "green" environmentally

friendly but are safe and extremely economical with a battery charge range of up to 25 miles.

Campgrounds can purchase the bikes outright for as low as $1195 ensuring an excellent and fast return on investment.

Speed: Up to 16 mph Range: Up to 25 Miles Motor: 350 watt brushless motor Driving Sytem: Powerful 48 volt front hub drive System built into the front wheel!

Charging Time: 4-6 hours for pennies Battery: 48 volt 14 AH sealed lead battery acid

Battery Charger: 110 volt smart charger, UL Listed Tires: Front 16 x 2.5" and rear pneumatic 10 x 3.5" Color: White and Black (Custom Paint Jobs Also) Size: 40" L x 26.8 "Wx 5.7" H Weight: 93 lbs.

Comes With: headlight, taillight, and horn. (Basket Optional)

Last week, we discussed how to establish your theme through advertisements and brochures. Now the spotlight can turn to updating your web page.

With increasing frequency web sites are one of the first impressions people have of a campground. Any successful marketing campaign will not only accommodate this trend but also utilize the enormous power it provides.

Today’s competitive web sites portray an image… a theme, consistently throughout the entire design while maintaining an eye catching appearance. It is essential that an image subtlety influences a potential guest’s perception.

This can be rewarding with the right guidance. Studies show that a potential camper will decide within seconds whether to continue spending their valuable time looking at a web site. So the question becomes: how to achieve your objectives while being immediately convincing?

Abundant use of professional, accurate photography combined with quality rendered site plans will go a long way in achieving this. Most people are visual thinkers and your web site should exploit this. Quality graphics can provide the bold impact that is required… you can have them sold before you say word one.

Likewise, by keeping text succinct and informational, readers will not become bored or distracted.

Care must be taken to create a clean, logical, and easy to navigate site.

Make it easy to use so that even the least computer savvy person will not become frustrated. Don’t let a camper, perfectly suited for your campground, fall through the cracks because they became annoyed with broken links or an illogical layout.

Novelty should be balanced against familiarity.

It is also important that it load quickly to aid campers who have slower internet connections.

Web page optimization is the process of designing the unseen architecture of a web page so that it will rank well on search engines such as Google or Yahoo. A good ranking will do wonders for your web site’s visibility, and hiring an optimization firm may be appropriate.

Try a few internet searches that don’t include your campground’s name such as “Oregon Rustic Campground” or “Northern Michigan Luxury RV Resort”… where do you rank?

One advantage of web based advertising is that you can track your on-line success. Special programming code can be utilized to provide this data… enabling you to identify which strategies are working best. Your web page designer can help you with this.

Compared to how many visitors my web site receives, how many are

booking a campsite? How many people are leaving within the first few clicks?

How long are they staying on the site? All of these questions and more can be easily answered if the right steps are taken.

For a fraction of the cost of traditional distribution methods, a website can provide a coast to coast marketing opportunity 24/7.

The investment is well worth the nationwide exposure. Check out the competition and get to the top of the list.

In next months Campground and RV Park E News the discussion will shift to green design techniques.

Written by Adam Shissler and Don Westphal Please check out the website at www.dcwestphal.com or contact us at 248 651 5518

By Larry

The EPA has provided leadership based on science. Thanks to this good work Congress and the states have been able to gradually create legal direction and financial support for addressing the

most pressing of our environmental problems.

We are in a water crisis of two dimensions. One dimension is that our demand for usable safe water is outstripping the supply. The other is that the quality has been so compromised that treatment is becoming ever more costly.

Recent environmental reports assert that nearly all Americans are drinking wastewater! This is not comforting. What it means is that we have arrived at the point where we use so much water that the cycle is complete: water that is

used gets flushed and drained away for treatment or filtering in the ground or flows through rivers and lakes. It is then taken back for treatment and distributed for use, whether that use be for irrigation, industrial processes or household consumption.

This situation creates a burden on those operations treating and distributing water, to make sure the water is safe for whatever use is being made of it. What is used for crops must not cause or spread disease. What is sprayed on table fruits and vegetables or used to wash them must be safe from e coli. What we drink must be safe, both from pathogens as well as from those chemicals used to treat it.

The problems with drinking water are compounded by the fact that so much of household wastewater contains medicines, drugs, and other chemical compounds that do not break down as they go back into the groundwater and wastewater.

Traditional water treatment plants do not break down or remove chemotherapy drugs, for example. The EPA notes that some of the threats to safe drinking water include • improperly disposed of chemicals • animal and human wastes

• pesticides • naturally occurring substances.

Another big problem with drinking water is that of nutrients entering the water supply. Nutrients include nitrogen, phosphates and potassium. These are plentiful in human waste as well as in a variety of other sources. Septic systems put these nutrients back into the ground. Of special concern is phosphate. Even a small amount of phosphate in groundwater will promote the growth of organisms in water.

The good work that EPA has accomplished has not prevented a water crisis.

We are in the midst of a growing water crisis that is yet to peak. But what has been accomplished to date has most certainly slowed the development of the crisis.

How much water do you think is used each year in the United States? Answer: 2.5 million liters or about 600,000 gallons per person!

It takes 40 liters of water to produce one slice of bread, 70 liters to produce an apple, 140 liters to produce 1 cup of coffee, 1000 liters to produce one liter (about a quart) of milk.

For further informative information about water consumption, go to waterfootprint.org.

You’ve probably heard of love dolls for men. But what about women? Artist Laura Zuspan spent a month living in an RV with a man-sized doll.

For A Little Pocket Utopia/Life’s A Mess, Zuspan tackled the subject of relationships by sharing a dilapidated, solar-powered Airstream trailer with a “six-foot man/rag doll.”

The project was born out of her anger over global warming and climate change; “I wanted to create a project where the idea of sustaining human life—procreating—is questionable when we’re a greedy enough species to destroy the environment that we rely on for everything,” she explains.

requirements.

I am a quick learner, have very good computer skills, experience working with money and people.

I am 21 years of age, have an outward personality and am happy to work flexible hours.

My name is Amber Grell and I have recently relocated to Nashville TN. As a preference I would love to work in the Campground industry in reception where I believe my skills would suit the job

Please contact me should you have a position available.

402 649 0326.

Editor’s note: Amber is known to the owners of Campground & RV Park E-News and comes very highly recommended.

Prairie Sales, LLC, introduces the tempachair™ - the world’s first portable, heated outdoor chair, featuring patent-pending technology designed to take the bite out of cold temperatures.

Nashville, TennesseeSeptember 24, 2009 Outdoor enthusiasts will no longer have to pile on the layers of blankets and extra clothing to endure open air activities during cooler temperatures in late fall and early spring seasons. The tempachair™ provides comfortable, welcomed warmth for up to 4 hours at a time through a micro

fiber heating element sewn directly into the chair’s seat.

Utilizing a patent-pending process, the embedded heating element is warmed by a portable rechargeable lithium-ion battery, reaching a cozy temperature of 140F that is sure to keep fans warm even during the most

chilly weather conditions.

The tempachair™ is ideal for tailgaters, campers/RVers, and parents cheering on their child’s team during those frigid Saturday mornings.

The potential market for the chair just with the parking

lot crowd is enormous.

According to a national survey taken by the American Tailgaters Association, there are at least 20 million participants in tailgating-related activities, who typically spend between $200-$500 each year on non-food related product purchases.

For more information about Prairie Sales, LLC, or the tempachair™, please contact: Gary Heskje President www. tempachair.com Prairie Sales, LLC 615.884.0973

By Lucas Hartford- Evergreen USA RRG, Inc. Bruce’s hair was singed, and he had burns to his torso, arms, legs, feet and hands, according to reports. A CareFlite helicopter transported him to Parkland.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze but deemed the RV a total loss.

Stock photo of RV Fire Texas: A Liberty Chapel man remains in critical condition at Parkland Memorial Hospital after his recreational vehicle burst into flames Saturday morning, a hospital spokesman said on Monday. Published in the Cleburne Times Review.

Liberty Chapel and Cleburne firefighters responded to the fire, which occurred at about 4:20 a.m. in the 3200 block of Farm-to-Market Road 2135.

Liberty Chapel firefighters arrived first on scene to find the RV engulfed in flames and Johnny Bruce, 44, on the steps of a neighbor’s house in severe distress.

Bruce told rescue workers he woke up and lit a cigarette, which caused the whole RV to go up in flames, according to reports.

Firefighters remained on scene until shortly after 6 a.m.

A faulty propane tank may have caused the fire, but the incident remain under investigation by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, said Jack Watson, assistant chief of the Liberty Chapel Volunteer Fire Department.

PRESCOTT Arizona - The Yavapai County Planning and Zoning Commission will discuss today three zoning ordinance amendments including allowing recreational vehicles and travel trailers to be used for temporary camping on private property, restoring some exemptions to the dark sky ordinance, and allowing park model trailers as a dwelling on single-family residential-zoned parcels as reported in the Daily Courier.

current ordinance.

Exemptions would include low-wattage holiday and landscape light systems; motion sensor security lights that do not shine onto adjacent parcels; and flagpole lights that are fully shielded.

Current zoning ordinances do not allow the public to camp in RVs and travel trailers on private property.

Land Use Manager Steve Mauk wrote an amendment to the zoning ordinance that would allow camping in RVs and travel trailers on 10-acre or larger parcels of land.

Park model trailers are built on a single chassis, mounted on wheels and designed to connect to utilities. Residents in the park trailers would be limited to single families and one roommate or boarder.

The amendment would limit camping to a maximum of 10 consecutive days three times a year and could not be rented to campers.

Travel trailers and RVs could not be connected to utilities.

The amendment to the dark sky ordinance would exempt certain lighting systems from shielding and lumen requirements of the

The amendment to allow park model trailers as dwellings is limited to models built after Jan. 1, 2003. The amendment excludes RVs, travel and fifth-wheel trailers, and campers.

The complete text of the zoning amendment ordinances is available for reading at the Development Services office located at 500 S. Marina St. in Prescott.

Commissioners re-hear the dark sky and park model proposed amendments at a future meeting. They vote on the temporary camping amendment and forward a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.

Gov. Schwarzenegger announced last Friday that a plan had been reached to allow state parks to remain open without increasing the budget appropriation for the Department of Parks and Recreation.

"Working closely with my departments of finance and parks and recreation, we have successfully found a way to avoid closing parks this year," the governor said in a Sept. 25 press release.

"This is fantastic news for all Californians."

Cathey posted this notice on the MAPA website:

Gov. Schwarzenegger The plan needs reduced services, maintenance and staffing to achieve required budget savings.

MAPA's response: In response to the news, Mendocino Area Parks Association Executive Director Carolyne

"The governor made a statement that appears wonderful at first glance, and the announcement is progress, but there is much in the mechanics of how to accomplish this plan that needs revealing," wrote Cathey.

"The parks may remain open, but the governor didn't reinstate any of the park funding the budget stripped away.

"As a result, parks must reduce ongoing

maintenance for the remainder of 2009-10 and eliminate all major equipment purchases, such as vehicle replacements.

For example, if a ranger vehicle is irreparable, then the ranger is without transportation, as well as other possible situations that will hamper service and maintenance.

"Parks must reduce services even more than they already are to meet their budget: Potential reduction of trash pickups, flush restrooms, visitor center

Click on the image below to search the directory: Listings added daily

This week's featured Listing